Listen to the Music
by hardly loquacious
Summary: Jane and Lisbon are out alone for a case. There's a shared hotel room, and love songs, and a romantic dinner, and there's dancing, and feelings are revealed... Well... sort of. Sequelish to "If you can't beat 'em," Written for the jello-forever prompt.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Well, here we go. This is part one of my entry for the jello-forever monthly challenge. This month's prompt is Love Songs. Naturally that made me immediately think of crack-fic. Actually, I'd had the idea for this fic for a while, but never got around to writing it. It only required minor tweaking to fit the prompt so it seemed like a good time. This is in the same universe as "If you can't beat 'em," but you really don't have to read either.

I do not own any of the Mentalist characters or any of the songs or song lyrics mentioned in the fic.

This fic is poking fun at commonly used fic clichés. Any similarity to anyone's actual fic is unintentional and I hope no one will be insulted as it was all done in good fun, and also because I love clichés (as well as subtle mockery and not so subtle sarcasm). So without further ado, I give you the first half of the fic. I hope to have part two up in the next couple of days. It's actually almost done.

xxxxx

Listen to the Music

Well I know,  
You know better  
Everything I say  
Meet me in the country for a day  
We'll be happy  
And we'll dance  
Woah, we're gonna dance the blues away  
Woah oh yeah  
And if I'm feelin' good to you  
And you're feelin' good to me  
There ain't nothin' we can't do or say  
Feelin' good,  
Feeling fine  
Woah baby, let the music play 

Woah oh, listen to the music  
Woah oh, listen to the music… -_The Doobie Brothers_

xxxxx

Lisbon was driving across the country with her consultant enjoying what she considered a period of blessed, blessed calm. They'd already been in the car for the better part of the day, and Jane's constant attempts to amuse himself were wearing on her last nerve. The consultant seemed to realize that he'd nearly exhausted her patience and was now sitting quietly, lost in thought. Lisbon decided to calm down a bit, cursing her luck that she was the one that had to accompany Jane on the four hour drive to their suspect's hometown. Because of the length of the trip they'd almost certainly have to stay overnight and that meant likely a good 36 hours as Jane's primary source of amusement. Not that she disliked the consultant of course, but he could be… trying.

She'd resigned herself to her fate earlier that day. There was nothing else for it. Cho, ever the dutiful son, had a family dinner. The agent had told Lisbon privately that if he made work the excuse to miss another one his mother might disown him, or worse. Lisbon had grinned and been about to ask what "worse" could possibly be, but one look at her right hand man's unusually serious face (even for him) caused the question to still in her throat. She'd let him off the hook, telling him he could be in charge of things on the Sacramento end. Van Pelt was busy teasing apart their victim's finances making Lisbon loathe to pull her away from her task, and the thought of sending Rigsby alone with Jane on the errand made her stomach twist. That left her as the someone that had to accompany Jane on a visit to their suspect's hometown to find more evidence proving that he'd strangled three women by tying sets of headphones around their necks.

Ah well, she supposed she should count her blessings. At least Jane wasn't teasing her about that strange (but oddly pleasurable) day they'd shared several weeks ago. Lisbon was relieved that he hadn't brought it up. She'd thought things would be awkward. Not that anything too scandalous had happened of course. She'd just had what was quite possibly the oddest day of her life. Also she'd kissed her consultant. But the odd thing was, for some reason or other, both of them had just decided not to mention it. Not that she wanted to mention it, she really, really didn't. She didn't want to get involved with Jane. There were too many complications, and the fact that she was technically his boss probably wasn't even in the top three. Let's face it; the man practically had a sign saying "Bad Idea" around his neck. But it was strange how effectively they were both pretending that the whole thing hadn't happened. In fact, apart from some semi-awkward moments between Rigsby and Van Pelt, no one was referring to anything that had happened that day. It was like the whole thing was a dream. If she hadn't had the paperwork filed away in her office from the day's case she'd be tempted to believe that the whole thing had been some sort of hallucination brought on by a combination of overwork and Jane's insanity.

As for herself, other than the odd compulsion to press her fingers to her lips and giggle girlishly from time to time, she didn't seem to be suffering from any after affects. Well other than an occasional slight change in the lighting around her, making everything look softer and less distinct, like a dream sequence on a cheesy soap opera. This was almost certain to be accompanied by the sound of tinkling bells. But since neither of those things was particularly concerning, Lisbon decided to go back to her plan of pushing it from their mind. After all, it was most likely a symptom of stress, or some sort of rare bug her entire unit had contracted for the day. She was inclined to go with stress, if only because it meant that she could place the blame for the entire episode squarely on Jane's shoulders.

He could be handy like that.

Speaking of Jane, he'd been amusing himself by searching for an acceptable radio station when the one they usually listened to cut out some time after leaving the city. She noticed the one that he'd found, while certainly not objectionable, was playing some awfully appropriate music. It had started with Leaving on a Jet Plane, progressed to Traveller's Tune, On the Road Again, Life is a Highway, King of the Road and was now playing Sentimental Journey. She assumed they must be having some sort of themed program but found it odd that the announcer hadn't mentioned it.

Lisbon let the music relax her. Sure the long drive hadn't exactly been fun, but in the end it hadn't been horrible. At least the scenery was beautiful. Her companion wasn't too bad to look at either… Now where on earth had that thought come from? She hadn't thought about Jane like that since, well, since the day that was not spoken of. Sure, objectively she recognized he was attractive, but it wasn't really something she'd ever let herself notice. It was completely inappropriate.

They passed a road sign indicating that the town of Harmony was only another couple of miles away. This seemed to prompt Jane to break his silence. "So Lisbon," he asked cheerfully, "What's the plan for tonight?"

"Well, it's probably too late to meet the local cops or tour our suspect's home, let alone questioning anyone who might have known him. We'd be better off just checking into our hotel and starting in the morning. I'll call the local sheriff to let him know we've arrived, and then maybe we can grab a late dinner or something," she told him.

This plan seemed to suit Jane just fine. "Yes, far better to get a look at things in daylight and when we've had more sleep," he agreed easily, noticing with some amusement that Lisbon obviously hadn't been expecting such ready agreement. "You look surprised my dear, why?" he asked her.

She allowed herself the luxury of smiling back. After all, no point in making this trip miserable for the both of them. Far better to let herself enjoy Jane's company, especially when he was being reasonable. "I'm just not used to such easy agreement from you," she admitted. "Not unless you've already got some plan worked out. But I don't see how you could have since we haven't even gotten into town yet."

Jane grinned then, "Not to worry Lisbon. My only plan at the moment is to stretch my legs as soon as we get to our motel. Four hours on the road is a bit much for me now that I've grown unused to the traveler's life."

Lisbon acknowledged the point with a wry nod. What she wouldn't do for some good food, a hot shower and a soft bed. "You know, you never did tell me about that," she remarked.

"Tell you about what?" Jane asked innocently.

"Nice try. Travelling. You told me your people weren't carnie folk once, but come on Jane, it's obvious your life was hardly settled. You did promise to tell me about it sometime."

"And so I will," Jane promised. "But sometime when we're not so tired, and when we're not in the middle of a case."

"We're always in the middle of a case."

"Now Lisbon you know as well as I do that's impossible. Being in the middle of a case implies by its very nature that at some point we must be at the beginning as well as the end."

"Oh hush," Lisbon told him good naturedly.

"Ah ha!" Jane exclaimed effectively changing the subject, "Isn't that the hotel?"

It was. And it was with some relief that Lisbon turned into the parking lot.

xxxxxx

Unfortunately her relief was short-lived. "What do you mean the reservation's only for one room?" she demanded.

"I'm sorry Ma'am," the receptionist told her apologetically. "We only have one room reserved under that name and I'm sorry to say that otherwise we're completely full."

"But I have two confirmation numbers right here. See look, we've reserved rooms 113 and 114."

"I can see that Ma'am, and I don't know what to tell you," the man told her sounding truly apologetic.

"Oh you have no explanation for this do you?" Lisbon asked him, trying to remain calm.

"No, as a matter of fact this establishment doesn't even _have_ a room 113," the receptionist admitted easily.

"What do you mean you don't have a room 113?" Lisbon demanded, clearly shocked. "How was I able to reserve it earlier today then? And are honestly telling me that you have a room 112 and a room 114 but not a room 113?"

"I am. You're more than welcome to go and see for yourself. If you walk down the hallway you'll see a room 111, 112, 114, 115 and so on, but unfortunately no 113."

"Well why the hell not?" Lisbon snapped, feeling unreasonably angry over the mix-up.

The man shrugged, "I don't know, superstition? I've never really thought about it."

"And so room 113 what, just _disappeared_ overnight?" Lisbon asked scathingly.

To her shock the receptionist appeared to seriously consider her suggestion. "Well, I suppose that's a possible explanation, but it seems highly unlikely…" the man trailed off in thought.

"Oh never mind," Lisbon snapped as she repressed the urge to hit the man on the other side of the counter. "I don't suppose there's another hotel in town?"

"Nope!" he said rather cheerfully. "We're the only one. I could put you on a waiting list should another room become available and offer you a complimentary breakfast for your trouble though."

"Thanks ever so much," Lisbon muttered as she grabbed the keys before wandering over to Jane, who, she noticed, looked far too pleased about the latest development.

Jane was, in fact, very pleased. After Lisbon had threatened to throw him from the vehicle if he didn't stop pestering her earlier, he'd noticed how unbelievably attractive her eyes were when she was angry and he'd been able to think of nothing but their kiss several weeks prior. The fact that it had barely crossed his mind in the interim he put down to repressed feelings finally erupting given the right circumstances (ie. him and Lisbon alone for an extended period). Whatever the cause, Jane was certainly not going to let this opportunity of wooing his favourite little spitfire slide. "Oh cheer up Lisbon," he told her as they turned towards their room. "After all there's a good chance the room has two beds," he added, while fervently hoping that wasn't the case. "I'm sure everything will be fine," he said soothingly.

"You'd better hope so Jane," she told him, "Or believe me when I say, I will find a way to blame this on you."

"Of that I have no doubt," Jane told her as they wandered past the disproportionately large gap between rooms 111 and rooms 115. Lisbon slid the room key into the keycard slot and opened the door. Just as she'd dreaded the room did in fact only have one bed. She let her shoulders slump in defeat.

"Don't worry about it Lisbon," Jane told her cheerfully. "I'm such an insomniac that I probably won't sleep anyways. I can just make myself comfortable in the chair," he told her helpfully, knowing that with her nurturing nature she'd never agree to that plan.

Lisbon sighed, "Don't be ridiculous Jane. You need to at least try to sleep. We're two mature adults; I'm sure we can share the bed."

Jane's smile grew behind her back. "If you think you can keep your hands off me."

"We can put pillows down the middle if it would make you feel better," Lisbon told him dryly.

"Oh, that's alright Lisbon. I have absolutely no objection if you decide to take advantage of me," he told her pleasantly.

Lisbon just gaped at him, her mind unfortunately conjuring up images of what taking advantage of Jane in the admittedly rather large and comfortable looking bed would entail. She mentally shook herself. What on earth was _wrong_ with her?

Lisbon was about to take Jane down a peg or two with a cutting remark when suddenly all the lights went out.

"Oh, _what now?_" she groaned.

"Relax Lisbon," Jane told her. "I'm sure it's just a temporary power outage. The lights will probably be back on shortly."

He looked like he was about to say something else when he was interrupted by a knock at the door. He opened it to reveal a smiling hotel employee. "Hi," she told him. "We're not sure how long the power outage is going to last, and we can't find any flashlights,"

"Of course not," Lisbon muttered. "They're probably all in room 113."

The woman ignored her, "But we are providing all of our guests with complementary candles and matches just in case power isn't restored quickly."

"Thank you," Jane told her with a smile. "While you're here, I don't suppose you could recommend a place to go for dinner nearby? May as well go to dinner since we've got no power anyways," he told Lisbon, who nodded.

The woman smiled perkily, "Sure," she told him readily. "I'd recommend Perfect Cadence, it's actually just down the street from here. You could probably walk to it. It's definitely the best restaurant in town. Pretty popular with the locals."

"Thanks," Jane told her again.

Lisbon just grabbed her purse as Jane held the door open for her.

"Oh," the woman added as an afterthought. "I almost forgot. If you're off to the Cadence then you're in for a treat tonight." She paused for effect. "Tuesdays are karaoke night!" she told them cheerfully.

Jane's face lit up in pure glee but it was all Lisbon could do not to sink to the floor and cry.

xxxxx

They arrived at the restaurant only to be informed that the power was also out there as well. However, the restaurant was still able to serve dinner due to the fact that several pieces of the cooking equipment were gas-powered. The rest were running off a small independent generator that was only able to support the remaining cooking apparatus, and apparently, the microphone necessary for singing. And so Lisbon's hopes that the power outage would somehow get her out of karaoke night were dashed. It didn't matter what she said, she knew Jane would get her up on stage somehow, even if she dreaded it.

Still, when they wandered into the restaurant, Lisbon's mood couldn't help but improve. Although none of the overhead lights were working, the owners had managed to compensate nicely using strategically placed candles. Candles that added warmth as well as a pleasant, spicy scent. In this frame of mind Lisbon even graciously allowed Jane to pull her chair out for her, offering him a smile in thanks.

The man really looked ridiculously good by candlelight she mused. The light playing over his handsome face. He looked softer somehow, more vulnerable as he sent her a soft smile from across the table.

"See, now, isn't this better?" he asked her softly.

Lisbon had to admit it was, and said so, as she resisted the urge to reach for his hand. And okay, seriously, _what was going on?_ She'd have to remember to ask the server what was in those candles, because it was clearly affecting her mental abilities.

In order to distract herself she opened her menu and started looking over it quickly, refusing to meet Jane's eyes.

Jane also opened his menu, but he was only pretending to study it. Lisbon by candlelight was a sight he'd never thought he'd see, and now that it was in front of him wasn't something that he wanted to miss. She was less foreboding, more open. Sure, the candlelight wasn't due to any desire for romance, but because of a localized blackout. Still, Jane was nothing if not an opportunist. And he wasn't going to pass up an opportunity when he saw one. Between the candles and the opportunity to serenade her he was sure he could finally make some headway with his Lisbon, something he'd decided he'd wanted more and more over the course of the last three hours.

Jane tore his eyes away from his beautiful colleague. If she caught him he doubted she'd appreciate it. Besides, he figured he'd better have at least glanced at the menu by the time the server arrived.

Moments later a woman approached their table. "Hello, I'm Tracy; I'll be your server tonight."

"Hi Tracy," Jane told the younger woman, shooting her his most charming smile. "I'm Patrick and this is Teresa."

Lisbon tried to hide her amusement, shooting the woman a benign smile and sending her a friendly nod.

Tracy smiled wider at Jane, "Alright, well, I just thought I'd let you know about our specials for the evening while you look over your menus. Lately we've been having themed specials. Tonight's is 'All aphrodesiacs, all the time.' To start we've got oysters on the half shell and an arugula salad with tomato and artichoke. The main course this evening is steak topped with mushrooms and garlic and served with asparagus, followed by a dark chocolate cake with strawberries and bananas on top. I'd recommend the cake in particular. It's delicious and particularly effective."

There was a brief moment of stunned silence at the table, before Tracy recollected herself enough to add perkily, "Alright, well I'll let you think about your orders and I'll go grab you some water."

"Did that honestly just happen?" Lisbon asked, somewhat stunned.

"Yup," Jane told her, though even he was surprised by this turn of events. After all, he'd assumed his karma was terrible. Perhaps bad karma expired more quickly than he'd thought…

Lisbon shook herself and turned her attention back to the menu in front of her since there was no way in hell she was ordering one of the specials. She didn't want to even think about what Jane was planning.

To her surprise when Tracy returned he only ordered one of the appetizers, shooting her a slight grin as he did so. She smirked back, she couldn't help it. His expression was too over the top. When Tracy left he turned his attention back to her. "I feel the need to assure you," he told her, "Since we _are_ sharing a bed this evening, that your virtue is still safe. I just happen to enjoy artichoke."

Lisbon smirked, "That's what they all say," she shot back.

Jane's eyes lit up pleased. Against all odds she was in a good mood again. Excellent. Lisbon in good humour was always fun, and he planned to enjoy it while it lasted. "I'm just saying, if you wanted to get that sinful sounding desert later Lisbon, well, I wouldn't take it the wrong way."

"No, you'd just tease me about it endlessly."

"No I wouldn't. I'm not always out to embarrass you Lisbon.

"I know that Jane," she told him honestly. "Sometimes _other_ people are your target."

Jane just grinned.

xxxxx

To Lisbon's surprise dinner went surprisingly well. Jane was well, Jane was being _nice_ to her. She'd known the man could be charming, practically everyone who'd ever met him knew that. But usually she wasn't able to enjoy it because she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. So being out having a meal with Jane when he wasn't being a lunatic was nice. She even let him persuade her into splitting the chocolate cake for desert, laughing off his suggestive eyebrow raise.

She should have known it was too good to last.

As they were finishing their desert the owner announced that karaoke would be starting any minute now and interested parties should go speak to the piano-player in the corner. Lisbon caught Jane's eyes across the table. "No," she told him firmly.

"Oh come on Lisbon! We could do a duet! It'll be fun."

"No." she told him again. "Absolutely not."

"Why? You need to loosen up a bit Lisbon. It's not like anybody in the room even knows who you are," Jane couldn't help pointing out.

"Because I'm a CBI agent and I'm here for a case," Lisbon told him firmly, but not without a little hint of panic. She'd just known he'd try to make her sing. "This isn't a vacation Jane. I'd prefer if our suspect's family didn't see me up there singing if it's all the same to you."

"Psh…" Jane told her, waving away her objections. "Our victim's family isn't here tonight. I've already scanned the crowd. Nobody has the appropriate body language or dominant genetic facial markings. Besides you're allowed to take a dinner break."

"No."

"Oh come on Lisbon, or is your voice just that bad?" he asked, hoping to goad her into it.

"I guess you'll never know, because I'm _not _getting up there," she replied.

Jane pouted briefly, before becoming cheerful again. "Fine, spoilsport. But I'm definitely signing up."

"I'm not stopping you," Lisbon told him. "And I could always use a laugh."

"I might just surprise you woman," he told her as he sprinted towards the piano in the corner.

Lisbon rolled her eyes and got ready to listen to the singing. The first woman who got on stage treated them all to a half-decent rendition of "You might think I'm crazy." As she got to the section on "But I think that you're wild, When you flash that fragile smile," Lisbon couldn't stop her eyes from searching out Jane in the corner. To her shock he was already watching her intently. She held his gaze for a minute (specifically until the singer got to the section on "And it was hard so hard to take,  
There's no escape without a scrape") before turning it back to the woman on stage. She was followed by a twenty year old kid singing "Somebody told me," by the Killers rather poorly. When Lisbon glanced back at Jane to her surprise she noticed he was still watching her. She decided to ignore him.

Ignoring him became difficult when he was the next one on stage. "Hello everyone," he said into the mike. "Can everybody hear me?" After a couple of people indicated from the back that they could, Jane continued. "Excellent. I'd like to dedicate this song to the lovely lady that I came with, the one glaring at me over there at the table in the corner. Hope this cheers you up Lisbon."

Lisbon glanced around the room, annoyed at Jane for bringing her to pretty much everyone's attention. Now this, this was exactly what she'd wanted to avoid. She scowled and turned her attention back to Jane, who was still grinning at her. Who knew what the idiot was about to sing. With her luck it would be something idiotic like "Secret Agent Man," or more likely, something specifically designed to embarrass her as much as possible. Good lord, if he started into "The Bad Touch" or something…

With all her misgivings it was something of a shock when she heard very familiar chords coming from the corner. He wouldn't, _would he?_ But… but…

But even as she tried to convince herself otherwise, there was no denying it. Jane was currently serenading her with "2 become 1" by the Spice Girls, an incredibly earnest expression on his face.

Candle light and soul forever  
A dream of you and me together  
Say you believe it, say you believe it

Jane sang. And good Lord, his voice was _good_. I mean, of course it was, what wasn't Jane good at? And sure, this song was one of her favourites, but did he not see how utterly _inappropriate_ it was? She was his boss and he…

Come a little bit closer baby, get it on, get it on  
'Cause tonight is the night when two become one

Lisbon was sure she was staring. Jane wasn't honestly propositioning her via Spice Girls lyrics was he? This had to be some sort of joke, didn't it?

I need some love like I never needed love before  
(Wanna make love to ya baby)  
I had a little love, now I'm back for more  
(Wanna make love to ya baby)  
Set your spirit free, it's the only way to be 

She felt herself getting angry. This was completely inappropriate, and wrong, and okay yes, a little flattering, but still, _completely inappropriate_. And when he got down from that stage she was going to tell him so. If she didn't just kill him first.

Silly games that you were playing  
Empty words we both were saying  
Let's work it out boy, let's work it out boy 

But there was something in his voice, something she couldn't quite identify (maybe it was knowledge of his impending doom, a part of her brain suggested). She guessed it was kind of sweet. It was one of her favourite songs after all. She felt her lips curving into a smile. And no one had ever sung to her before. It _was_ sweet… She rested her head in her hand as her eyes softened. There was no denying he looked good up there. Even if the lyrics were inappropriate, he did have a good voice. And he was definitely singing to _her_. He hadn't taken his eyes off her for even a second.

Lisbon felt herself sigh, before she roughly jerked her brain back in line. What was wrong with her? She was mad at him, wasn't she? Why on earth did part of her want to throw herself into his arms? She should have known that chocolate cake was a bad idea. Lisbon spent the rest of the song alternating between being angry and charmed as she desperately tried to keep some sort of neutral expression on her face.

As Jane finished his song to thunderous applause (his voice _had_ been significantly better than she'd expected) Lisbon decided not to kill him. After all, she'd never have an alibi. Besides, it was probably all Jane's idea of a joke since they were sharing a room. Probably. Almost certainly. She hoped.

Besides, he'd looked so dreamy up there, the dulcet tones of his voice washing over her and the candlelight bringing out golden glints in his hair. She wondered what it'd be like to run her fingers through it…

Luckily Lisbon didn't even have to shake herself out of her thoughts this time. Jane did it for her.

He waited until the applause died down before starting his plan, "That's for you Lisbon," he told her. Then he proceeded to get the crowd even further on his side. "My partner," he explained to them all. "She's saved my life too. More than once. Wonderful woman. Really, you should all get to know her." Lisbon tried not to squirm as every eye in the place turned back towards her. "Unfortunately," Jane continued, his grin turning slightly evil "She's a bit too shy to get up here and sing. Which is a shame because I'm sure we'd all love to hear from her, wouldn't we?"

The small smile Lisbon had managed to drum up froze on her face. She. Was. Going. To. Kill. Him.

Jane was seemingly oblivious to the murderous glare she was sending his way, "Maybe with a little encouragement…" he suggested.

Delighted, the crowd burst into applause and several people sitting near her urged her to get up there. She tried to decline graciously, but they were having none of it.

"Come on Lisbon," Jane added from on the stage. "It'll be fun. And we're all friends here."

Realizing there was nothing else for it Lisbon stood up and made her way over to the piano player to confer amid thunderous applause.

"There we go. Excellent." Jane said. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait while Agent Lisbon picks herself a song then I'm sure we're all in for a treat," he said with a grin.

Pleased with himself Jane moved back to the table and settled in. Even if she killed him afterwards it'd totally be worth it. There was something endearing about Lisbon when she wasn't completely in her element. Besides, even if she was horrible he'd flatter her back into good humour.

Lisbon took a deep breath as she approached the microphone. She wasn't all that comfortable in front of people. Oh sure, when she was addressing crowds as Agent Lisbon it was one thing, she was sure of her authority then, but at times like this… Well, this was the part she'd always hated.

Jane noticed her extreme insecurity from his position even as she tried to hide it. He frowned. Lisbon, insecure? He didn't quite like it. Maybe he shouldn't have forced this on her.

Then Lisbon opened her mouth and all thought of somehow putting a stop to this flew from his mind.

She was utterly fantastic. She'd chosen to sing Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now". Jane couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. While he'd been good, some might even say great, Lisbon was in a league of her own. Her control, the quiet power behind her voice. She was magical. Jane wouldn't have been surprised if a chorus of songbirds started singing backup. He was completely under her spell, and he wasn't the only one. Not a soul stirred while Lisbon sang, a vulnerability and emotion she rarely showed shining through. She was amazing, unbelievable, phenomenal, superlative. It was like the second coming of Susan Boyle, but you know, far more attractive. Somehow, despite the fact that the room was lit by candles because of the power outage, she appeared to be in some sort of spotlight, like an angel come down from heaven. And Jane couldn't tear his eyes from her. How had he not known that Lisbon knew how to sing? And if she could sing like this why on earth hadn't she wanted to? He got lost in her voice as Lisbon sang about things she didn't understand, and maybe never would, about love and illusion.

I've looked at love from both sides now  
From give and take, and still somehow  
It's love's illusions I recall  
I really don't know love at all

When Lisbon finished singing the hauntingly beautiful melody she was met with thunderous applause as the crowd immediately jumped to their feet. Lisbon thanked them awkwardly before hurrying off the stage. Jane rushed to meet her by the piano behind which she was trying to hide.

"Lisbon you were fantastic!" he told her sincerely.

She blushed and looked away briefly. "Thanks," she told him softly.

"Why didn't you tell me you could sing like that?" he asked her quietly.

She shrugged, "I haven't done it in a while," she admitted. "And I've never liked singing in front of crowds."

"Still," Jane told her, still in awe. "When'd you learn?"

"When I was little," she admitted. "My mother… my mother taught me."

Jane stilled at the reference to her mother, unsure of what to say. Her reticence to sing made _perfect _sense now. He should have realized it would bring back painful memories. Between the two of them a whole heck of a lot of things seemed to. Doing pretty much anything always involved treading through an emotional minefield. In the end he just nodded, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around her. She wouldn't appreciate it. He settled for briefly threading his fingers through hers.

Lisbon felt his fingers and resisted the urge to gasp. It was all of a sudden too much, between the candlelight and the singing and mentioning her mother… She needed a change of subject. Luckily a distraction came in the form of the pianist she'd almost forgotten in her distress.

"He's right you know," the man said. "You really are fabulous. Both of us thought so."

"Thanks," Lisbon told him sincerely, before pausing confused. "Wait, both of you?

"Yup," the man said. "Me, and Forte."

"I'm sorry, who's Forte?"

"Why the piano of course," the pianist said slowly gesturing to the instrument like that should have been obvious. It was as he moved his hand that Lisbon realized the man wasn't actually playing the piano. The keys appeared to be moving of their own accord. "That's his name."

"His name," Lisbon repeated slowly.

"Yes, well his stage name at least." the pianist admitted. "His real name's Steve, but obviously he needed something flashier than _that _to get anywhere in this business."

"Of course," Lisbon said, not entirely sure how else to respond.

She may have been imagining things, but Lisbon was sure the piano was slowly inching closer to her.

The (fake) pianist smiled. "Ah, it appears Steve has a bit of a crush. Must be that pretty voice of yours. Your eyes aren't bad either. Don't worry he's completely harmless."

Behind her she heard Jane stifle a laugh. "Seems you've got more than one admirer tonight," he told her with a significant look.

Lisbon shot him an annoyed glance. She was in no mood for his games now and she searched for yet another topic of conversation. Suddenly she grinned brightly, "So, the Spice Girls huh?" she asked Jane.

He grinned back, all gravity forgotten (though her beautiful voice was still haunting his thoughts), "Thought you'd like that," he told her. "It was all for you, you know."

"And how'd you know I like them?" she asked curiously.

"You told me," answered proudly. That had been one of his better ideas.

"When?"

"When you were hypnotized," he said, his tone mater-of-fact.

"_WHAT?" _Lisbon asked angrily. She'd let him hypnotize her in an attempt to clear her name from a _murder charge _and he uses the opportunity to, to…

Jane seemed oblivious to her anger. "I wanted to find out more about you," he admitted cheerfully.

"Argh!" Lisbon practically screamed nearly disrupting an off-key rendition of "Barbie Girl." She stormed back to the table more quietly.

Jane frowned, "I thought it was romantic," he admitted to the pianist, who merely shrugged in sympathy.

Jane figured he'd better give Lisbon a minute or two to cool off, so he listened to a mediocre version of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" from his position next to the pianist and his apparently sentient instrument before making his way towards the table. He found Lisbon speaking to the owner of the restaurant who was clearly showering her with praise, something that was obviously making the Agent increasingly uncomfortable.

"I'm flattered," Jane heard her say, "But there's really no need…"

"Oh, but I insist," the man replied, over-riding her objection. "For one with a voice such as yours it would be a pleasure to pay for your meals. Really, they're on the house."

"Well, actually I'm here for professional reasons so I wouldn't even be paying," Lisbon tried again.

"Even better!" the man said, "Surely the government would welcome any opportunity to lower its expenses."

Jane decided to intervene and hopefully get himself back on Lisbon's good side in the process, "Ah, normally we'd love to," Jane explained to the man. "And it's not that we don't appreciate your generosity, but there are protocols. And you have to see how it would look, two CBI agents getting free meals from a restaurant. People might wonder what you're getting in return you see. Not that we're accusing you of anything, but you know what people might _say._ And we wouldn't want Agent Lisbon to get in trouble now would we?"

Their host was immediately apologetic and understanding, "Of course. How silly of me. I'll say no more, but let me just say, you're both welcome here anytime."

"Thank you," Lisbon told the man sincerely.

She frowned briefly at Jane as he sat down. "Aw, come on Lisbon, don't be mad," he wheedled. "It was just a bit of teasing."

She sighed, before giving in. She knew she'd never be able to stay mad at him. "Fine, but you hypnotize me again and I'll remove one of your limbs."

"Understood."

They lapsed into silence, this one comfortable. Jane resisted the urge to break it for once when he saw that she was relaxing. Suddenly he heard a familiar opening set of chords.

"I love this song," he said in a tone of practiced nonchalance.

"Do you?" Lisbon asked distracted, her eyes darting around the room surreptitiously. She was still annoyed with Jane for tricking her into getting up on stage and all the attention that had resulted from it, both human and instrumental. And now the news would almost certainly make it back to the CBI and her secret would be well and truly out. She'd kept it a secret for a reason. She wasn't embarrassed by it, but she didn't like the attention, preferring to be known for her abilities in the field, not on stage.

Jane looked over at her, his brow furrowed. This wasn't how this conversation was supposed to go. "I have to say Lisbon, I'm a little hurt."

"Hurt?" she asked confused. What was Jane going on about now?

"When a song you loved started playing and I was made aware of it I immediately offered to dance with you. Now one of my favourite songs starts playing and you barely acknowledge the fact."

Lisbon resisted the urge to pinch the skin above her nose in frustration. "I'm sorry Jane," she said, trying to think of a way out of her predicament. She really wasn't in the mood to dance. But then, she glanced at Jane, and the way he was looking at her, well, she'd only every seen that look once before, on the day that was not mentioned. And as she looked her ear was caught by the beauty of the song. Apparently the pianist wasn't just there for show, he actually sang sometimes too. When asked about it later Lisbon would insist that she'd gotten caught up in the lyrics and hadn't known what she was doing. Because without even realizing what she was doing, and certainly without her consent, she found her lips curving into a friendly smile as she asked, "I'm sorry Jane, would you like to dance?"

Jane felt his own grin mirror hers. Ah, that was better. "I'd be delighted Lisbon, thank you for asking. But remember, no funny stuff."

"Of course not," she said with a smile as she allowed herself to be led to the floor as "Falling Slowly" started playing. She had to admit, it was a beautiful song. She let herself relax as she listened to the lyrics.

I don't know you  
But I want you  
All the more for that  
Words fall through me  
And always fool me  
And I can't react  
And games that never amount  
To more than they're meant  
Will play themselves out

Lisbon couldn't stop thinking about the lyrics to the song and how accurately they mirrored her relationship with Jane. Well, except for the bit about a slow development. The feelings between her and her consultant seemed to develop in spurts and then completely disappear without even a hint of warning, but that was beside the point. The song was still unbelievably appropriate. It was then that she made the horrible mistake of catching her partner's eye.

Take this sinking boat and point it home  
We've still got time  
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice  
You'll make it now

Jane was watching her very closely, his expression one that could only be considered endearment. Lisbon knew was getting swept away by the combination of lyrics, the smoothness of their dancing, his closeness and his facial expression but she couldn't do a thing to stop it. She went to move closer, taking a step that would put their bodies in closer contact.

Falling slowly, eyes that know me  
And I can't go back  
Moods that take me and erase me  
And I'm painted black  
You have suffered enough  
And warred with yourself  
It's time that you won

Unfortunately at that moment Jane had decided to spin her gracefully to impress her. However, Lisbon's unexpected forward motion caused her spin to become slightly uncontrolled and resulted in her toppling over a pop can on the floor and losing her balance completely in the process. To his credit, Jane managed to catch her before she hit the floor, but not before she'd managed to wrench her ankle.

Lisbon's swift and rather unladylike curse broke the spell of whatever had been brewing between them. Jane led her quickly to the nearest chair. "Are you alright?" he asked, his concern evident.

"I'm fine," Lisbon assured him, feeling mildly embarrassed. "It's not twisted too badly. I bet if I put some ice on it it'll be fine by tomorrow."

"I admit when I imagined you falling for me I didn't have anything quite so literal in mind," Jane commented.

Lisbon's heart gave an almost painful thud. Jane had imagined her falling for… Okay, seriously, what the _hell_ was wrong with her? Since when did she lose herself in his eyes on the dance floor? Since when did she think about Jane falling for her? I mean, other than the day that she never thought about, except for _today _obviously… she frowned, irritated with herself. What on earth was going on? "Shut up Jane," she decided to settle on. "And can we please go back to the hotel?"

"Of course Lisbon," he said readily holding out his arm, amused when she ignored it pointedly, preferring to hobble out under her own power.

Jane just ambled after her and threaded his arm through hers so she had no choice but to let him help her. When she started to protest he cut her off, "Don't worry about it Lisbon. If it makes you feel better you can think of my motivations as selfish. After all, if you're injured who will save me when I inevitably anger one of the locals?"

"That's true," Lisbon muttered as she let Jane assist her back across the street to their hotel.

Neither of them noticed the baby grand following them at a discreet distance until they heard the unmistakable strains of "I could have Danced all Night."

Lisbon's scowl deepened. "Oh, shut up Forte," she scowled, while Jane tried to conceal his chuckle.

Forte just looked mildly crushed by her rejection and slunk off into the bushes to nurse his wounded ego. It seemed his love was not to be wooed by the musical genius of Lerner and Lowe. And he'd been so hoping she'd be up for a duet…

xxxxx

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, here we go. Part 2. Thanks to everyone who reviewed part 1. I'm glad you're all liking my little bit of silliness.

xxxxx

Jane waited patiently while Lisbon fished in her coat pocket for the hotel key. He helped her into the room, leading her gently around the cabinet that held the TV so she didn't injure her ankle further.

"I see the lights are conveniently still not working," Lisbon muttered.

"I'll just get you settled and light some candles," Jane told her.

"Jane, I'm perfectly fine."

"Of course you are. But you know as well as I do that you'll be better sooner if you keep off that ankle for a couple of hours. I'll light some candles and then go grab some ice."

"Fine," Lisbon muttered as she grabbed a pillow from the bed and placed it under her ankle to elevate it.

Jane moved quickly around the room placing the complimentary candles in all corners. It lent the room a certain atmosphere, and one that he'd become particularly fond of at the restaurant. He shot her a smile before grabbing a candle, the room key and the ice bucket and set out to find the ice machine.

His trip didn't take long and he was soon back with the ice for her ankle. The sight that greeted him took his breath away. Lisbon was reclining on the bed reading the crime scene report and checking in with Cho, her leg elegantly elevated in the candlelight. "Nah, I haven't killed him yet," he heard her tell her colleague.

There was a pause, "True," she said with a laugh. Jane felt a stab of jealousy at the thought of another man bringing that expression of pleasure onto Lisbon's face. Which was odd, because he'd never really considered himself a jealous person.

"Alright, thanks Cho. And thanks for offering to provide an alibi should the need arise," she added.

She turned to Jane and grinned at him, "That was Cho," she told him unnecessarily. He says things are fine back there. Apparently Rigsby nearly destroyed one of the office computers, but Van Pelt managed to salvage the situation so it's all good." She frowned, Jane still hadn't moved. "Jane?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

Jane shook himself from his silent reverie on the way the colour of the case file she was holding made her skin look positively luminous. "I grabbed your ice," he told her. "I'll just get a cloth from the bathroom so you don't have to put it right against your skin."

"Thanks," Lisbon told him absently before going back to her file.

Jane glanced at himself in the mirror, noting with irritation that he looked nervous. Did that woman even have any idea what she did to him?

xxxxx

They spent the next couple of hours going through case files. Well, Lisbon did. Jane pretended to doze in the chair, while really watching her. It's not like she needed him anyways. They already knew who'd done it. This whole trip was a formality. Not that he was complaining. He was glad of the excuse to spend time with Lisbon. Suddenly he noticed her yawn.

"Lisbon, you're getting tired," he told her. "We both are. Why don't we call it a night? It's dark and who knows how long the candles will last."

Lisbon glanced up at him before acknowledging that he was right. "Alright, I'll use the bathroom first if you don't mind."

"Go ahead."

Jane gulped. Lisbon was changing. Of course she was. He wondered what she usually slept in… Luckily his usual sleepwear consisted of a t-shirt and pajama pants. He knew Lisbon would kill him if he wasn't well covered. The woman'd probably make him sleep in his suit if he tried to tell her he hadn't brought anything to sleep in, and as attached to it as he was it was, the vest was a little confining to sleep in. Oh crap! Which pajama pants had he brought? He hoped it wasn't the pair with the rubber duckies on them. They certainly weren't very manly. He checked his bag. Whew. The plain navy blue ones. He smiled. Nothing wrong with them. He let his mind drift back to what Lisbon slept it. Maybe a lacy little nightgown. No that was far too impractical for his Lisbon. Oooh maybe she slept in a long t-shirt or something equally enticing.

It was something of a disappointment when Lisbon exited the washroom dressed head to toe in flannel. At least it should have been. The woman was even wearing socks for crying out loud. But for some reason Jane couldn't take his eyes off of her. He'd never look at flannel the same way again. The way the bottoms of the pants dragged slightly on the floor... Before he could do something stupid he grabbed his bag and practically ran into the washroom, much to Lisbon's amusement and surprise.

When he'd managed to calm himself down he walked back into the room. "Love the pajamas by the way," he told her. "The sheep are a nice touch."

Lisbon grinned, "I've always had a soft spot for animals on pajamas," she told him.

Damn thought Jane. Maybe the duckies _would_ have been better.

Lisbon glanced at him, "Yours are nice too." She added as an afterthought. "Very… nondescript. Can you blow out that candle over there?"

"Sure," he agreed.

"Goodnight Jane," she told him when she felt him settle into bed beside her.

"Night Lisbon," he replied quietly. "See you in the morning."

xxxxx

Jane was right, he wasn't able to sleep. His insomnia was kicking in full blast. He glanced over at the woman next to him sleeping peacefully, glad they'd decided to use the pillows to sleep on rather than as an impromptu barrier. He tried to concentrate on her breathing, hoping it would lull him to sleep, but that damn piano was playing Frank Sinatra's "In the wee small hours of the morning" outside the window. Jane sighed. He'd never get any sleep this way. He stood up, careful not to wake Lisbon, and walked over to the window. He opened the curtains and made the universal sign for cut at Steve (Jane refused to refer to him by his ridiculous stage name), followed by a gesture that he hoped conveyed to the blasted instrument that if he didn't stop Jane would go out there with a pair of wire-cutters and start snipping. His message must have gotten across. The string instrument started slouching back towards the restaurant, but just to be sure Jane kept glaring out the window until the piano was well out of sight.

Relieved Jane went to lie back down, hoping sleep would be more forthcoming. He tried not to concentrate on the woman next to him. She was so beautiful in the moonlight, her face completely relaxed, not displaying the annoyed expression he was so used to. He wondered if he dared move closer, maybe wrap an arm around her. After all, maybe the added body heat would make him drowsy.

Suddenly Lisbon began to stir in her sleep. Jane froze, afraid any movement would wake her. She rolled slightly closer and began muttering to herself. Jane's ears perked up. Who knew what Lisbon thought about in unguarded moments? This would be the perfect time to find out! He shifted slightly closer and strained to hear what she was saying.

"Oh, that's good," she murmured.

Jane grinned in the darkness. He liked where this was heading.

"Yes I want more…" Jane's grin widened.

"Jane…" she moaned.

Jane went to reach out to her. Maybe he wasn't alone in his feelings.

"You _can't_ have my last cookie, get your own."

Hi hand stilled in midair. What?

"Want more peanut butter chocolate chip…" she muttered into the pillow

With that Lisbon settled back into sleep.

Jane was shocked. She'd been dreaming about baked goods. _Baked goods_. His life wasn't fair. He let out a huff of frustration, before glancing back at his companion and settled for stroking the hair out of her face. At least she was relaxed. Maybe she'd move over towards him herself. After all, weren't people supposed to seek out body heat in their sleep?

As if on cue Lisbon rolled over quickly. Unfortunately Jane wasn't expecting the sudden move and so was unable to stop her from kneeing him in the groin.

Muffling his curse in his pillow Jane rolled away from her. Best to leave her to her own devices he decided, as he resigned himself to another sleepless night. To his left he heard Lisbon strike up a conversation about skyscrapers.

xxxxx

Several hours later Jane woke up surprised. He guessed he must have dropped off after all, either that or blacked out from the pain. He was turned towards Lisbon who appeared to have settled again, with one hand draped lazily around his waist. Jane smiled softly. This, this was what he'd wanted.

Well, not quite.

She'd stolen all the blankets. He was getting cold.

Trying not to wake Lisbon he attempted to delicately roll her slightly so he could pull one of the blankets out from around her and towards himself.

Unfortunately his plan went south when Lisbon took his subtle suggestion too far, rolling right off the bed.

She was up like a shot, "Wha… What's wrong?" She asked, looking around quickly. She turned to him; he tried valiantly not to laugh. "Jane! What the hell! Why did you push me out of bed?" she demanded.

"Believe me Lisbon, I wasn't trying to push you out of bed; you'd stolen all the blankets," he told her, still smiling.

"You jerk. I was actually sleeping pretty soundly."

"I woke up because I was cold! And I just meant to turn you slightly. It's not my fault you decided to take my suggestion and roll with it." He chuckled as her glare intensified. "Besides, call it payback for kneeing me in the groin in the middle of the night!"

Rather than seeming contrite Lisbon seemed amused by this. "I kneed you in the groin?"

"Yup, direct hit. And it came as no surprise to learn that you hit _hard_. You're not the easiest of bedfellows by the way. Did you know you talk in your sleep? You said some interesting things." Jane tried to look suggestive to see if she'd fall for it.

Unfortunately she didn't, "Yeah. I've been told that. Drove my last boyfriend nuts."

What? Boyfriend? When? It wasn't until she answered his last two questions that Jane realized he'd asked them out loud.

"Ended about a month ago. Julian. He was an accountant." at Jane's look, she sighed. "We dated for six months but it didn't work out."

"Because he couldn't handle your job and the fact that you're incapable of fully opening up to another human being?" Jane guessed.

"Because he was transferred to Albany," Lisbon corrected.

"Ah."

"So what'd I say?" Lisbon asked, mildly curious. "I talk about architecture? Apparently that's common."

"Skyscrapers," Jane confirmed. "After the baked goods that is. Then you hit on sheep, basketball and the many virtues of trouser jeans. After that I must have dropped off."

"So you did get some sleep?" Lisbon asked, surprised and pleased.

"Yes, about three hours I'd guess; which is rare. Must have had something to do with the company," he said with a flirtatious grin.

Lisbon rolled her eyes, "Despite the fact that I kept you up half the night talking in my sleep after kneeing you in the groin."

Jane shrugged, "Well, I'll admit the physical abuse wasn't ideal, but I guess I just find your voice soothing."

"Uh huh." She was skeptical.

"Plus you smell good," he added.

"It's probably my moisturizer. Come on Jane, we should get ready."

"Didn't you like sleeping with me?" he asked, hoping she'd return the compliment. "I notice you looked pretty comfortable."

"To be quite honest I almost forgot you were there until I was rudely awakened." Lisbon stretched, "Well since I'm up I'm going to go shower and get dressed. Please tell me the power's back on."

"Yeah," Jane acknowledged quietly. He hadn't even really gotten to cuddle with her. Sharing a bed with Lisbon had been something of a disappointment. Ah well, maybe she wasn't quite ready yet. He'd have to ease her into things.

xxxxx

After enjoying their complimentary breakfast (which Lisbon had to admit was pretty good), the pair set out for their victim's house. Lisbon couldn't help noticing that Jane was acting strangely again, being overly solicitous and attentive. It was _creepy_. She'd gotten rather used to bit-of-a-bastard Jane who seemed to delight in needling her. This was just odd. "Jane, turn the radio on. I need a distraction. It's too quiet," she ordered suddenly.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" he asked her. He'd already scanned through the radio stations while she'd gotten directions from the receptionist.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she wondered, confused.

Jane sighed before explaining, "Well, from what I can tell, there are only five stations that actually work in this town. The first is one that plays "Lovers and Other Strangers" on a continuous loop, which means we're stuck listening to love letters, or worse, _poetry_ sent across the miles followed by something out of the discography of Mariah Carrey, Celine Dion or Luther Vandross. A second plays nothing but power ballads from the eighties and after hearing 'Alone', 'Paradise by the Dashboard Lights' and All I Want To Do is Make Love To You' in rapid succession I'd rather not. Then there's the station that plays nothing but emo music about longing for things one cannot have all day every day, or if you'd prefer, the station dedicated to the hits of one Mr. Marvin Gaye with particular emphasis on "Let's get it On." I suppose we _could_ listen to the twenty-four hour local news channel, but it's been a bit of a slow news day. Top stories include the fact that there's been a _very_ localized power outage inexplicably limited to our hotel and the restaurant we went to last night, a story about a beautiful pair of out-of-towners who stunned the locals at open mike night last night at the aforementioned restaurant and a story about a woman in town who won first prize in the draw at the local bazaar. All in all, I decided silence was better."

"You can't be serious," Lisbon told him.

"Nope, I really would prefer the silence."

"I meant about what was on the radio you idiot!"

"Ah," Jane said. "Yes that makes more sense. And actually I am serious. It's almost as if the universe is trying to tell us something." When he realized Lisbon had no plans to reply he continued. "If you want the silence filled so desperately I'm sure I could entertain you with my fabulous adventures."

"Wonderful," Lisbon said dryly. Then she realized hearing about Jane's adventures wouldn't actually be so bad, when her eye was caught by something outside. "Is that Forte?" she asked.

Jane glanced out the window. "Yup. He's been following you around since yesterday. Serenaded you for most of the night actually, but you were asleep."

"I see," Lisbon muttered. Then she grinned, "Wouldn't that mean that technically he was serenading you?"

Jane smirked back, "Technically yes, I suppose. But his repertoire led me to believe you were the intended target."

"His repertoire?"

"She moves in Mysterious Ways, She's Like a Rainbow, Pretty Woman, Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress… Well, I'm sure you get the picture."

"That's actually kind of sweet," Lisbon mused.

Sweet? She thought a crazy obsessed piano following her around was _sweet_? He, Patrick Jane, had discovered her favourite song (okay, somewhat against her will) and asked her to dance by candlelight (okay, so technically the candlelight wasn't really there for romance and she'd almost taken a header to the floor during the dance), but it's the damn _piano_ that she thinks is sweet. Jane gritted his teeth. "I suppose," he muttered.

Lisbon seemed to find his annoyance amusing. Luckily for Jane they arrived at their suspect's house before she could ask him about it. "Come on Jane," she told him. "Let's go see if we can find something to tie Jacobs to these murders."

Jane leapt from the car. Yes! That was it! He'd solve the case for her. She was always in a better mood when he solved the case.

xxxxx

Unfortunately (for Jane's plan to impress Lisbon at least) the case was rather easily solved. Things went as they usually did in these situations. Lisbon met with the local sheriff, Jane angered and insulted the man, Lisbon stepped in to protect him. Then they finally entered their suspect's house. Their man, Terrence Jacobs, had been living in Sacramento for the past couple of months where he'd killed three women. Okay, technically he was under arrest for killing three women, nothing'd actually been proven _yet_, but everyone knew it was him. He hadn't sold his previous residence, in one Harmony, California. Which was why, in the name of a conducting a complete investigation, Lisbon and Jane were currently walking into the house to see what they could see.

The second Lisbon walked in the door Forte materialized out of nowhere to play the theme from Mighty Mouse. He was more or less ignored. Still, with all the pomp associated with their arrival, it came as something of a let-down when they immediately found several pairs of headphones identical to those used for the murders in plain sight. One had even been chopped up in a fit of rage. Of course, it wasn't until Jane found the photo of a woman who was clearly Jacob's ex-significant other wearing similar headphones that he put it all together. She'd obviously just left him, causing him to go on a crazy killing spree. The headphones probably reminded Jacobs of her. Jane was sure that if they asked they'd find that this woman had worked in the music industry.

The local sheriff obligingly confirmed that yes, Jacobs had been dating one Maria Silvers, and yes she worked for one of the local radio stations.

Lisbon figured they should probably talk to her in the name of thoroughness, especially since they'd already driven all the way to Harmony anyways. Jane agreed, as did the sheriff. In order to show his own faith in his favourite CBI agent's ideas Forte decided to strike up a rousing version of "I'm a Believer."

Jane rolled his eyes. The sheriff looked confused. Lisbon just laughed.

xxxxx

They arrived at the local radio station (Jane couldn't resist whispering in Lisbon's ear that it was the one that appeared to be devoted to 80's power ballads) and asked for Maria Silvers. Turned out she was on the air at the moment, but had a break coming up shortly. They waited as she finished queuing up "Love is a Battlefield," before walking over.

"Hi Ms. Silvers," Lisbon said. "I'm Agent Teresa Lisbon from the California Bureau of Investigation. This is Mr. Jane. We were wondering if we could ask you a few questions."

"This is about Terry isn't it?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, it is," Lisbon admitted. We were wondering if you could tell us about your relationship with him."

Jane watched as the woman took a breath and then the whole story just came spilling out. How Terry had started to get jealous of her dedication to her music, how he'd gotten crazier and more possessive every day until she'd ended things. And then he'd just gone nuts, threatened to kill her, or himself. She'd been relieved when he'd moved away.

"I still can't believe he did those horrible things though," the women told them. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Lisbon told her firmly.

Maria nodded sadly. "Well, if that's everything I should get back to work."

"Are you sure you should be working right now?" Lisbon asked. "I mean, you did just hear that your ex-boyfriend is a murderer."

Maria smiled a watery smile, "The music comforts me," she admitted. "But that's Harmony for you," she added.

Lisbon smiled slightly back. "Okay. If we have any other questions we'll let you know."

Maria nodded before going back to her post where she finished a commercial break and proceeded to play "Hungry Like the Wolf."

Jane followed Lisbon out of the station, unable to stop himself from humming the chorus as he walked after her.

In touch with the ground  
I'm on the hunt I'm after you  
Smell like I sound I'm lost in a crowd.  
And I'm hungry like the wolf.  
Straddle the line in discord and rhyme  
I'm on the hunt I'm after you.  
Mouth is alive with juices like wine  
And I'm hungry like the wolf

She didn't appear to notice.

"You'd better call Cho," he told her. "Let him know what happened. Then he can grab our friend Terry, interrogate him and get a confession. There we go, case closed."

"Sure," Lisbon told him. "Doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense though. If Terry was jealous of her music why was he using the headphones to kill women? You think he'd want to destroy the symbol of her job as well, not turn them into instruments of power over others."

Jane shrugged, "Maybe he wanted the music to destroy other lives like it'd destroyed his. I wouldn't analyze it too much. It won't matter. Cho'll get a confession anyways."

Lisbon just nodded as she grabbed her phone. Jane waited patiently while she spoke to Cho. When she was done he continued, "Well, we may as well go have lunch now."

"Sure why not," Lisbon told him.

"And then afterwards you can call Cho just to make sure he got a confession and there's nothing else we have to do here. It'd be irritating if we had to come back."

"That's true," Lisbon agreed. "But we're _not_ going to the Perfect Cadence. I think I saw a diner on the way here."

"Anything you like dear," he told her.

"I wish," she told him, laughing good-naturedly.

"You should laugh more Lisbon," Jane remarked.

"What?" she asked him, amused.

"You should laugh more. You're lovely when you laugh," Jane told her. "I'd imagine there's any number of men who'd help you with that."

"Yes, that's _definitely_ been my experience," Lisbon remarked somewhat sarcastically.

"I've been told I've got quite the sense of humour," Jane added. "Quite entertaining Libs," he told her with a suggestive leer.

"Libs?" she questioned, eyebrows raised.

"I thought it could be my cute little nickname for you," Jane explained easily. "Something that's just ours. You know, to show our bond."

"Yeah, no." Lisbon told him with another laugh. "Jane, I'm not sure what you're up to, but whatever it is, the answer's no. Come on, it's almost two. I'm starving and I want a hamburger."

Then with a final laugh and a shake of her head Lisbon stalked towards the car. Jane frowned. This was not going as planned. While he was standing there pondering the setbacks in the plan to woo Lisbon, Forte snuck up on him and began to play "Killer Queen."

"Oh, shut up Forte," Jane muttered as he stalked after her. "I'd like to see you do any better."

Behind him he heard the tinkling laughter of piano keys.

Forte watched in triumph as the other man walked away, shoulders slightly slumped. While the baby grand certainly wasn't making any inroads with the lovely agent with the magical voice, at least his rival didn't seem to be either. Forte wondered if a quick chorus of "Walkin' on Sunshine" was in order. The piano's satisfaction was rather short-lived though. He noticed that the man did seem rather dejected at his lack of success with his pretty colleague. And Forte had seen them dancing the other night; the pair was fairly well suited, well, some of the time. It was clear the blond man cared about his little musical angel. And what could Forte really offer the lovely woman who's first name he didn't even know? Forte shuffled his front legs awkwardly in the dirt. Even if they could get over the obvious barriers resulting from any human/instrument interaction, Forte couldn't follow her when she left, and he doubted she'd be content to stay. He sighed. Maybe he should yield the field to his rival. He really just wanted her to be happy. And if the other man was the one who made her sing…

So be it. He'd have to be content with their one perfect duet, well that and knowing he'd made the blond man jealous. Anyone with hair like that needed to be taken down a peg or two. Forte decided he'd stay out of it from now on.

Or….

Or he could stick around and offer the pair his unique services.

xxxxx

Jane walked into the diner and slid into the booth across form Lisbon, noticing how the cherry red seats set off her raven hair and pale skin to its best advantage. Apparently unaware of her affect on him she grinned at him in welcome, "Hey, what took you so long? I thought you were right behind me."

"I was delayed by your instrumental admirer," Jane told her shortly.

Lisbon glanced at the window, "Forte?" she asked. "He's here? Huh. I don't see him."

"Good." Jane replied, irritated by her continued interest in the dratted piano. "I told him to get lost."

"Aw, he's sweet." Lisbon replied. "Plus, you've got to admit, meeting a sentient piano's been an experience."

"It's been something," Jane answered grabbing a menu.

Lisbon frowned, suddenly concerned. Jane was showing all the usual signs of being actually upset. It was rare that he let it show, meaning that when it did happen it was usually serious. She reached a hand across the table and touched his wrist. "Hey," she said softly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jane told her quickly, putting on an easy smile. "Why Agent Lisbon, were you concerned about me?" he asked trying to distract her.

"Well, you're acting kinda strange," she admitted with a grin of her own. "For you anyways."

"I guess I'm just not used to having a musical instrument follow me around," Jane told her easily.

"Technically he's following _me _around," Lisbon replied.

"Well, yes. That's true. But since I'm always with you it pretty much amounts to the same thing," Jane argued.

"Not used to competing for my attention are you?" Lisbon asked with a laugh. Her laughter stopped when she saw the look that flashed across Jane's face before he could stop it. "Oh my _god._ Jane! You're jealous of a piano!" Lisbon couldn't have kept the amusement out of her voice if she'd wanted to.

Jane scowled. "I am _not_ jealous of a piano."

"Then what would you call it?" Lisbon asked.

"I just find being subjected to a constant soundtrack a little irritating is all," Jane defended. "And I don't see why it doesn't bother you. Normally you'd be annoyed by distractions like this."

Lisbon shrugged, "It hasn't been _that_ distracting. Besides, it's flattering, and kinda sweet."

"I can be sweet," Jane muttered under his breath.

Lisbon felt a bubble of affection rise up in her chest. "Yes Jane, you can," she admitted. "But you can also be annoying as hell, or worse." She sighed, "You know that."

They were interrupted then when the waitress came to take their order. After she left Jane watched as Lisbon began toying with her cutlery. "I still don't know why you won't let me give you a special nickname," Jane mentioned.

Lisbon glanced up at him, "I never said I _wouldn't_ let you give a nickname. I said that I didn't want you calling me 'Libs'," she clarified.

"So I can give you a nickname?" Jane asked hopeful.

"That's not what I meant," Lisbon retorted. "It would depend on how familiar it was, and knowing you you'd start using it in the interrogation room or something."

"What if I promised not to?" Jane asked.

"Depends on if I believed you and if you could think of one I liked," Lisbon told him matter-of-factly.

"Fine," Jane told her. "I'll come up with a better nickname. And you'll like it."

"You do that."

"You know Lisbon, you certainly don't make it easy for people to be nice to you," Jane told her suddenly. "You also never thanked me for serenading you last night. I even picked a song you liked."

"A song you only found out I liked through a gross invasion of my privacy!" Lisbon replied scandalized.

"Well, yes," Jane admitted reluctantly. "But you still like the song! Some people might even think that was charming."

"It's not charming when you abuse the trust someone gives you when they're already vulnerable!" Lisbon exclaimed. "That's the opposite of charming you idiot! I can't believe you honestly expected that to work!"

"I wasn't trying to abuse your trust," Jane explained. "I just wanted to get to know more about you Lisbon." Then he added more softly, "I like you."

And just like that Lisbon's amusement faded, replaced by something much softer. She smiled, "You're not so bad yourself sometimes Jane. And I guess it was kind of sweet when you sang to me." She waited until he met her eyes with a smug smile before continuing, "Even if afterwards you did force me up on stage when I told you expressly not to."

But this time Jane's smile didn't even falter, "But just think Lisbon, if I hadn't you never would have met Forte! And I believe you said you were glad of _that_ experience."

Lisbon was unfazed, "Yes, Jane, that's true. But just think, if I'd never met Forte you wouldn't have a reason to be jealous."

"Woman! I am not jealous!"

Lisbon just laughed. Further conversation was derailed by the waitress bringing their orders.

xxxxx

As a reward for his attempts at being sweet Lisbon let Jane drive back to the hotel. She decided they may as well spend another night in Harmony. They were both tired, it was getting late, they still hadn't heard a confirmation from Cho about the confession, and she didn't feel like making the four hour drive back mostly in the dark. They could leave first thing in the morning. Jane had absolutely no problem with her plan. He decided to take his chances with the radio. He was amused (although not particularly surprised) when Foreigner's "Hot Blooded" began to play. The lyrics meant that Jane couldn't help thinking about the woman sitting next to him. Memories of their kiss came flooding back into his mind. If only she'd give him some sort sign that she thought about it too. He glanced over at her.

Well that was interesting. Lisbon was fidgeting. It appeared as though he wasn't the only person the song was making slightly uncomfortable. He decided to take his chance, "Do you ever think about that day when the team went out for dinner?" He knew he wouldn't have to specify which one.

"Jane…" Lisbon said softly. Why was he doing this? She thought they'd had a silent agreement _not _to talk about it.

"I want to kiss you again Lisbon," he told her. "It's all I've thought about for the last twenty-four hours."

Lisbon paused.

"Can you honestly tell me you never think about it?" Jane asked.

Lisbon sighed, "No Jane. I can't. I've been thinking about it lately too," she admitted.

"Lisbon," he whispered.

"But it's not a good idea Jane," she told him.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I can think of any number of reasons. But let's start with the fact that we apparently only have these feelings for a day or so at a time, and then they go away for weeks. Don't you find that a little strange?" she asked him.

Jane just shrugged as he pulled into the hotel parking lot. "Maybe it just means that we should be making the most of the days we have," he took her hand and began idly running his thumb over her pulse, pleased when he felt it speed up.

Lisbon paused, and then froze when "Hot Blooded" switched over to "Lovers in a Dangerous Time." Whatever she'd been going to say froze on her lips when she heard the lyrics.

Don't the hours go shorter as the days go by  
We never get to stop and open our eyes  
One minute your waiting for the sky to fall  
The next you're dazzled by the beauty of it all  
Lovers in a dangerous time  
Lovers in a dangerous time

Jane shot her a significant look. "Jane," she said. "We can't…"

"Why not?" he asked her.

"We work together. People will talk," she told him.

"Oh come on Lisbon," Jane said, dismissing that particular objection. "People are talking already. There's a reason there's an office pool on whether or not we're sleeping together. And, come to think of it, one on when we'll actually get together if we're not. Besides, given how this relationship has progressed so far, it certainly isn't affecting our working relationship." Which was true. After their last kiss their relationship hadn't suffered (because they'd both completely pushed the kiss from their minds of course, but the relationship still hadn't _suffered_). He slid his hand from her wrist to her elbow as he moved slightly closer. He could feel the heat between them now. She had to feel it too.

"Exactly Jane. We don't even know if this is real," Lisbon argued.

"Feels pretty real to me," he replied as he brushed her hair out of her face.

But Lisbon wasn't going to give in that easily. "Yeah it's real alright, for a day, maybe two. So what, we kiss one day. Weeks later we sleep together, what's next?"

Jane paused to consider that, "Well, given the temporal parameters you've set up I'm not sure the relationship can progress much farther. After all, moving in together for fourty-eight hours seems like an awful lot of hassle."

"Exactly," Lisbon whispered as she reached for the door knob. "I'm sorry Jane, I… I don't think I can do this." And with that she left the vehicle.

When you're lovers in a dangerous time  
Sometimes you're made to feel as if your love's a crime  
Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight  
Got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight  
When you're lovers in a dangerous time  
Lovers in a dangerous time  
Lovers in a dangerous time  
Lovers in a dangerous time  
Lovers in a dangerous time

Jane slumped back in his seat. A minute later he sat up. Since when did Patrick Jane _give up_? Never! That's when. He just needed a more insane scheme. He jumped from the vehicle and jogged after his partner.

Lisbon was flying towards the hotel room. She couldn't believe this. Couldn't believe any of it. She'd just considered giving in to that insane side of her brain that cropped up every now and again with its ludicrous suggestions. God, sleeping with Patrick Jane! That would definitely be a mistake. She paused, considering. Okay, so it wouldn't be all bad. I mean, she was sure there'd be pleasurable _aspects_… She shivered just thinking about it.

Wait, what the hell was she doing? What was wrong with her? She started pacing in the hotel lobby.

In her distraction Lisbon didn't notice Forte hiding in the corner of the room. The piano took a breath. It was now or never. Softly at first, so as not to startle her, he started playing REO Speedwagon's immortal love song "Can't Fight this Feeling."

I can't fight this feeling any longer.  
And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow.  
What started out as friendship,  
Has grown stronger.  
I only wish I had the strength to let it show.

Lisbon barely noticed the music as she continued to pace. Okay, so Jane was sweet. And he obviously cared about her. And she'd be lying if she said she'd never thought about it. Hell, she'd been thinking about it all weekend too, even if she'd been trying not to. And it couldn't have been easy for Jane to admit that maybe he wanted more from their relationship, even if he hadn't been sure where it would lead. At least he'd been honest with her about that. And Jane being completely honest meant a lot.

And he was so handsome, and charming, and he made her laugh. And she felt good when she was with him (well, some of the time). And she wanted him. There. She'd admitted it. So what?

So… so _maybe_ she didn't need to be quite so responsible, just this once… (Okay, technically it was twice now.)

A small part of her brain was still rebelling, telling her it was a bad idea. But Lisbon told it to shut up. Even if the rest of her brain had gone nuts from overwork and stress, at least the course of action it was recommending should remedy that somewhat.

Lisbon grinned. She wanted Jane. Now she just had to tell him. So where was he?

Suddenly she saw him stalking into the hotel, a determined expression on his face. She grinned.

And even as I wander,  
I'm keeping you in sight.  
You're a candle in the window,  
On a cold, dark winter's night.  
And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might.

And I can't fight this feeling anymore.  
I've forgotten what I started fighting for.  
It's time to bring this ship into the shore,  
And throw away the oars, forever.

Ah ha! Jane thought. There she was. He'd have thought she'd have gone farther than the lobby, but apparently not. Well that was good. He needed to talk to her, and he wasn't going to let her get away this time. As he got closer he realized that she was smiling. Well, that was unexpected. Good, but unexpected.

Then, to his even greater shock, Jane realized that Lisbon wasn't just _smiling,_ she was walking towards him. As she got closer he opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get the words out she grabbed his vest and pulled him in for a blistering kiss.

Apparently his master plan was completely unnecessary. Looks like Lisbon had already solved the problem without him. In this instance though, especially since he was pretty sure he was feeling what could only be her hands traveling under his vest, Jane had to admit that he didn't mind ceding the floor to her.

Lisbon pulled back slightly, and sent him a mischievous grin that he had no trouble returning. Then without saying a word, she turned and led him towards the hotel room.

Suddenly the receptionist spotted them. "Oh!" he called out. "Agent Lisbon I've been looking for you. A second room has opened up if you're interested," he told her. Then he frowned when she didn't respond. "Agent Lisbon?" he tried again. "Were you interested in that other room or not?"

Lisbon didn't even look at him as she continued to pull Jane vest-wise down the hall. "I don't think we'll be needing it," she called back.

Forte grinned a wide piano-key grin as he watched the couple move towards their room. He started playing Meatloaf's "If this is the Last Kiss, Let's Make it Last all Night" for added inspiration. Before the shut the door behind him, Jane removed one of his hands from around Lisbon's waist to give the anthroporphized piano a thumbs up.

Forte tinkled happily to himself. It seems he'd gotten it right in the end. Because unless he was very much mistaken, that pair wouldn't be leaving the hotel room anytime soon.

He was sure they'd have their troubles of course, but he'd get them off to a good start with one last song.

After all, one should never underestimate the power of love songs played in Harmony.

Day after day, I'm more confused  
Yet I look for the light through the pourin' rain  
You know that's a game that I hate to loose  
And I'm feelin' the strain  
Ain't it a shame

Oh, give me the beat boys and free my soul  
I wanna get lost in your rock n roll  
And drift away  
Oh, give me the beat boys and free my soul  
I wanna get lost in your rock n roll  
And drift away

Beginnin' to think that I'm wastin' time  
I don't understand the things I do  
The world outside looks so unkind  
Now I'm countin' on you  
To carry me through

Oh, give me the beat boys and free my soul  
I wanna get lost in your rock n roll  
And drift away  
Yeah, give me the beat boys and free my soul  
I wanna get lost in your rock n roll  
And drift away -Dobie Gray

xxxxx

The End

Well, that's it. I can only hope you all had as much fun reading it as I did writing it.


End file.
